Achieve with Automation: Our Commitment to Your Throughput Goals

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Granta

Ask any production manager what keeps them awake at night, and sooner or later the conversation comes back to one number: throughput. How many units off the line per shift, per hour, per minute? It’s the figure that gets reported upwards, the one that determines whether an order ships on time, and the one that quietly decides whether a piece of automation was worth the investment.

So, when we talk about what we promise our customers, we don’t start with the kit. We start with that number. At Granta Automation, our approach is simple: we help our customers achieve with automation. That means delivering solutions that don’t just look good on paper, but consistently perform where it matters most – on your production line.

You’ve spent time and money getting product moving down the line at the rate you need. The last thing that should hold you up is the bit at the very end — stacking finished boxes onto a pallet. Yet end-of-line is exactly where a lot of production lines quietly lose pace, whether that’s a palletiser that can’t quite keep up with the box rate, or operators’ hand-stacking and tiring out as the shift goes on.

The palletiser shouldn’t be where your line slows down

A palletiser only earns its keep if it comfortably matches — and ideally outpaces — the rate boxes come off your line. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to. We’d rather supply a machine that keeps up every day, shift after shift, than one that looks fast on paper and then becomes the new bottleneck. Because for us, achieving with automation means making sure your investment delivers the throughput your business depends on.

Real throughput means sustained, reliable stacking

It’s easy to be impressed by a quoted cycle time. But a palletiser that handles a box quickly and then stops every twenty minutes for a misfeed or a toppled stack hasn’t solved anything. Real throughput is about steady, dependable output across a full shift.

That’s why we care as much about reliability as raw speed. Boxes vary — in size, weight, fill, and how square they sit. A machine that only performs when conditions are perfect isn’t much use on a busy production floor. We design and specify for the boxes you actually run, not the idealised ones, so the stack stays consistent and the line keeps moving.

We start by understanding your line, not selling you a machine

Before we recommend anything, we want to understand what’s coming off your line and how fast: your box dimensions and weights, the rate per minute, the pallet patterns you need, and how much that’s likely to change as your products do. We want to know where you are today and where you’re heading, so the palletiser we propose still fits in a couple of years’ time.

This matters because the right answer depends entirely on your numbers. A robust, achievable throughput target — agreed up front — is the difference between a palletiser that delivers and one that frustrates. It’s also how we make sure you achieve with automation from day one.

We design to your target

Once we agree on the rate you need to hit, that target shapes every decision: how the palletiser is configured, how product is fed and oriented into it, the pallet patterns, and the headroom we build in for real-world variation. We factor in the things that quietly erode output — product variation, planned and unplanned stops, changeovers between pallet patterns, and the gap between a machine’s theoretical speed and its actual availability.

Designing for genuine, sustained output rather than headline cycle time is what makes a throughput figure stick once the novelty wears off. It’s also how we ensure our customers continue to achieve with automation long after the machine has been commissioned.

We prove it before it leaves us

We don’t ask you to take our word for it. Wherever practical, we run factory acceptance testing so you can see the palletiser performing against the agreed numbers — with representative product — before it ever arrives on site. Then we validate it again during commissioning, on your floor, with your boxes, at your line speed.

That two-stage approach — prove it here, prove it there — means surprises get caught early, when they’re cheap to fix, rather than during a production ramp when they’re not.

And we stick around afterwards

A throughput figure isn’t something you hit once on day one and forget. Lines change, products change, and small issues compound if no one’s watching. Our commitment doesn’t end at sign-off. Through support, servicing, and a genuinely available phone line, we help you keep the palletiser doing its job for the long haul.

Because helping you achieve with automation isn’t just about installation day. It’s about making sure your investment continues delivering the performance you expected for years to come.

If something does go wrong, we want to be the people you call who actually pick up — not a name on an out-of-date contract.

A straightforward promise

We don’t think any of this should be remarkable. Helping you stack pallets fast enough to keep your line flowing is, quite simply, the job. But it’s surprising how often automation is sold on specifications rather than outcomes, and we’d rather be judged on the latter.

So that’s our commitment: we’ll be honest about what’s achievable, size the palletiser around the throughput that matters to you, prove it before and after installation, and stand behind it once it’s running. That’s what Achieve with Automation means at Granta Automation. It’s not just our strapline; it’s the promise that every automation solution we deliver is designed to help your business succeed.

If you’ve got a line that’s outpacing your end-of-line — or you’re still hand-stacking and feeling it — we’d be glad to have that conversation.

Get in touch with our team to talk through your line speed and the right palletising solution for it.get in touch with us on 01223 499488 or email helpline@granta-automation.co.uk. You can also use our Palletiser Savings Estimator to get an indication of the return you could expect.

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One Palletiser for Multiple Lines, or One Robot Per Line? How to Choose

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Granta

A single robotic palletiser can handle product from multiple production lines – and equally, there is nothing wrong with giving every line its own robot. Both approaches work, both are proven, and we design and build both. The right choice comes down to three things: speed, space, and access.

When we visit customer sites, one of the most common things we hear is surprise that a robot palletiser can take more than one input at all. Many people assume it is one robot, one line, full stop. In reality, there are several well-established ways to feed multiple lines into one robot. Here they are – along with an honest look at when each one makes sense.

The Configurations Most People Don’t Realise Exist

Multiple infeed conveyors into one robot. A robot cell with an infeed conveyor from each line, and pallet positions or pallet conveyors as outputs. A typical layout has the robot in the centre with one or two conveyors on each side. One thing to be aware of: robot reach sets a physical limit. As a rule of thumb, a static robot can serve up to six – at most seven – pallet positions plus an infeed. You certainly couldn’t pick off eight infeed conveyors and place onto eight pallets; the robot simply wouldn’t reach. Beyond that point, you need a track system.

One collated infeed, many products. You don’t necessarily need a conveyor per line. Several lines can be merged onto a single infeed conveyor, with a barcode reader at the end identifying each product as it arrives. The robot then stacks each item – trays, boxes, bags, shrink-wrapped packs – onto its correct pallet. We have systems in the field built exactly this way: one infeed feeding a robot surrounded by a ring of six pallets, with every product automatically placed on the right stack.

Track-mounted robots for large pallet counts. A static robot runs out of reach at around six or seven pallet positions. Need more than that? You have two options: add extra palletisers, or – if the rates are slow enough – mount one robot on a sliding track. A track-mounted robot typically serves from around seven pallet positions upwards: that could be seven, twenty, thirty or more, with no real limit other than floor space, because the track can simply be made longer.

How the Options Compare

System styleSpeedSpaceThings to consider
One robot per lineFastest per line. With row gripping and auto-rotation, a dedicated robot can keep up with lines running at 30–50 products a minute.A cell at the end of every line. Access between lines stays open.Highest total cost if you have many lines – but maximum flexibility and redundancy. If one cell stops, the other lines keep running.
One robot, multiple infeed conveyorsGood. Each conveyor carries one product type in sequence, so the robot can row pick – placing several products per move. The robot’s total capacity is shared across the lines.One cell instead of several. Each line needs its own conveyor into the cell, plus buffering space for products to accumulate while the robot serves the other lanes.Robot reach is the limit – a static robot can serve around six or seven pallet positions plus an infeed at most. Connecting conveyors can block access between lines.
One robot, single collated infeed (barcode sorting)Slower. Mixed products arrive in random order, so row picking isn’t possible – every pick is one at a time, and that caps the speed.Very compact at the robot – e.g. a ring of six pallets around one cell, with only one conveyor into it. The merging of lines happens upstream.Best suited to lower-rate lines. A barcode reader at the end of the infeed identifies each product so it lands on the correct pallet. The merging conveyors can block access between lines – and a fault on the shared infeed (a broken belt, say) stops every line feeding it.
Track-mounted robotSlowest. Every pick is individual, plus travel time along the track between pallets.Takes over where a static robot runs out of reach – typically from around seven pallet positions upwards. That could be 7, 20, 30 or more; the only limit is floor space for the track.Ideal for slow sorting applications, such as dispatch areas where mixed products need distributing across many pallets.

Speed: The Biggest Deciding Factor

Speed decides more than anything else. A single line running at thirty, forty or fifty products a minute can max out a robot entirely on its own – that line needs its own dedicated palletiser. At the other extreme, one robot can comfortably serve many slow lines; as a rough guide, around eight lines each running at a bag a minute is well within reach.

How products arrive matters just as much as how fast. Wherever the same product arrives in sequence – on a dedicated line, or in a multi-infeed cell where each conveyor carries one product type – the robot can row grip: picking a whole row of identical products in one move. This is where our patented easy programming software gives Granta systems a genuine edge; it is the only software able to automatically group picks into rows, with auto-rotation, multiplying throughput because every robot move places several products.

But here is the catch with a collated infeed: when products from different lines arrive one by one and mixed together, row gripping is not normally possible – rows need the same product in order. A mixed infeed effectively fixes your speed at one pick at a time. In theory you can add buffering before the lines merge and release products in batches ready for row picking, but this is very technical, often challenging, and rarely practical. If lines are merged onto one conveyor, plan around individual picks.

Space and Access: The Practical Realities

Space can point you either way. A single robot with six pallet positions, or even a big track-mounted system, can be far more compact than the equivalent done manually or with a machine per line – or it can occupy more space. It depends entirely on your current layout, which is why we always start by looking at the site itself.

Access is the factor people most often overlook. Joining several line ends together with conveyors physically blocks the routes between your production lines. If operators need to walk between lines – to reach a box erector, for example – a run of connecting conveyors is in the way. There are good solutions: drawbridge-style conveyors that lift for access, step-over platforms where only personnel access is needed, or high-level conveyors – such as a spiral up and over the walkway. But all of these need designing in from the start.

Finally, resilience. With a shared system, all the connected lines depend on the same equipment – if a belt breaks on a shared infeed conveyor, every line feeding that cell stops until it’s fixed. With a robot per line, only the affected line stops.

So Which Should You Choose?

Fast lines deserve their own robots. Slow lines can share one – and save a lot of money and floor space doing it. If you need to sort onto a large number of pallets, a track-mounted robot will do it at a gentler pace. And in every case, check the practicalities early: robot reach, buffering space, and how operators will move around the cell.

We genuinely don’t mind which way you go – we design, build and support all of these configurations, and our job is to recommend the one that fits your products, speeds and layout.

If you’d like to talk through which configuration would suit your operation, get in touch with us on 01223 499488 or email helpline@granta-automation.co.uk. You can also use our Palletiser Savings Estimator to get an indication of the return you could expect.

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How Many AMRs Do I Require?

Posted on June 18, 2026 by Granta

It is one of the first questions we are asked when a customer starts thinking about Autonomous Mobile Robots, and it is a very sensible place to begin. After all, the number of AMRs you deploy has a direct bearing on both the performance of your operation and the cost of your project.

The honest answer is that there is no single number that fits every facility. The right fleet size depends on how much you need to move, how far it has to travel, and how quickly it all needs to happen. The good news is that working it out is far more straightforward than it might first appear. Below, we walk through the main factors that determine how many AMRs you require, and how we help you arrive at the right figure.

Start With the Work, Not the Robot

Before counting robots, it helps to be clear about the job they are doing. In most of our applications, AMRs are moving pallets — typically taking full pallets away from a palletising system to a storage area, and often returning empty pallets back into the system.

The key number here is your throughput: how many pallets (or loads) need to be moved in a given period, usually expressed per hour. A line producing 30 full pallets an hour places very different demands on a fleet than one producing 80. Establishing this figure first gives us a solid foundation for everything that follows.

How Long Does One Full Cycle Take?

The next thing to understand is the cycle time of a single AMR — the time it takes to complete one full job and be ready for the next. A typical cycle includes:

  • Travelling to the pickup point
  • Loading the pallet
  • Travelling to the drop-off point
  • Offloading the pallet
  • Returning, ready for the next task

Add these together and you have the time for one round trip. If for example a single cycle takes around five minutes, one AMR can complete roughly twelve moves an hour in ideal conditions. Compare that figure against your required throughput and the rough shape of your fleet begins to emerge.

What About Charging?

A common worry is that charging will eat into the working day, but in practice it rarely causes a headache. AMRs and AGVs charge themselves automatically: whenever there is no works order waiting, the robot simply takes itself off to a charging station and tops up, then returns to work the moment it is needed again. The charging happens in the quiet spells, not in the middle of a job.

For a standard single shift — a normal eight-hour day — many operations manage perfectly well without any dedicated charging time at all, unless usage is exceptionally heavy. It is really only as you move towards continuous, 24/7 running that charging starts to take a meaningful slice out of available time.

Plan for Your Peaks, Not Just Your Average

Many operations have a steady average demand but experience busier spells — a shift changeover, a surge of orders, or simply the natural rhythm of a production day. If you size your fleet purely around the average, those peaks can create bottlenecks.

We always recommend looking at your busiest realistic period and making sure the fleet can comfortably cope. Adding one robot of headroom for peaks and redundancy is often a worthwhile investment; it means that if demand spikes, or if one AMR is taken out for maintenance, your operation keeps flowing.

Consider Layout, Distance and Traffic

The physical layout of your facility matters a great deal. Longer travel distances increase cycle times, which in turn increases the number of robots needed to hit the same throughput. The number of pickup and drop-off points, the width of aisles, and how much other traffic shares the space all play their part too.

This is where intelligent fleet software earns its keep. Our AMRs are managed by the GoControl system, which receives, prioritises and dispatches jobs automatically, routing each robot efficiently and re-planning around obstacles. Well-managed traffic means each AMR spends more of its time working and less of it waiting — which can reduce the number of robots you ultimately need.

Think About Tomorrow as Well as Today

It is always worth asking where your operation is heading. One of the great advantages of AMRs is their scalability — you are not locked into a fixed installation. If your volumes grow, you can add robots to the existing fleet, and the software will simply incorporate them.

For that reason, many of our customers choose to start with the fleet that meets today’s needs while keeping a clear plan for expansion. You get the benefits now without over-investing, and a straightforward route to grow when the time is right.

A Simple Way to Estimate

There are two ways we tend to approach this — a quick rule of thumb, and a more detailed calculation.

The quick rule of thumb

A conservative starting point is to look at how the work is done today. As a rough guide, for every forklift operator currently moving your pallets, you will need approximately 1 to 1.5 AMRs or AGVs. It is not exact, but it gives you a sensible ballpark in seconds.

The more detailed method

For a closer estimate, we work through the cycle in a little more detail:

  1. Allow a travel speed of around 1 metre per second, and measure the distances the robot will cover on a typical job.
  2. Add one minute for each pallet pick-up and one minute for each drop-down.
  3. Multiply the resulting capacity by 0.85, to allow 15 per cent for charging time.
  4. Finally, apply a route congestion factor to account for traffic and shared space, using the table below.
Route Congestion FactorDescription
1.00Wide lanes, more than 3m per AMR/AGV, with no other congestion
0.80Wide lanes, more than 3m per AMR/AGV, but shared with people / forklifts
0.95Narrow lanes, 2–3m wide per AMR/AGV, with no other congestion
0.70Narrow lanes, 2–3m wide per AMR/AGV, but shared with people / forklifts
0.10Very narrow lanes, less than 2m (and no less than 1.6m)

Where lanes are not wide enough for two AMRs/AGVs to pass, also add a waiting time factor to allow for passing places — for example, 0.90 if you estimate the robot will be waiting around 10 per cent of the time.

This gives a realistic view of how many moves each robot can achieve in an hour, and therefore how many robots you need to meet your throughput.

It is a helpful guide, but every facility is different, and small changes in layout or process can shift the answer. That is why we never rely on a rule of thumb alone for a final specification.

The Best Answer Comes From Working It Out Together

Sizing an AMR fleet well is part calculation and part experience. By understanding your throughput, your layout and your goals, we can model the right number of robots for your operation — enough to keep things moving smoothly, without paying for capacity you do not need.

If you would like help working out how many AMRs your operation requires, we would be very happy to talk it through and put together an estimate tailored to your facility. Please do get in touch on 01223 499488 or email us at helpline@granta-automation.co.uk. We will be very happy to help.

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Why Your Competitors are Faster: 3 Productivity Gaps in UK Warehousing

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Granta

If you manage a bustling UK warehousing or manufacturing site, you know that keeping up with shifting consumer demands is harder than ever. You might look at the competition and wonder how they manage to despatch orders at lightning speeds, scale up smoothly during peak times, and protect their margins against soaring operational pressures.

The reality is that your competitors aren’t necessarily working harder—they have identified and closed structural efficiency gaps that drag down traditional operations. In British logistics, productivity is often won or lost at the end-of-line and intralogistics workflows.

Below are three specific productivity gaps that may be holding unautomated operations back, alongside the actionable steps needed to close them.

1. The Human Velocity Cap: Manual Palletising Bottlenecks

A common misconception in warehousing is that throughput is determined by the speed of your processing or picking lines. However, a major hidden drain on your bottom line is the packing and palletising hall.

When product stacks up at the end of the line, your entire operation has to slow down to prevent a backlog. Relying on manual labour to stack boxes, containers, or heavy sacks creates a “Human Velocity Cap”:

  • The Fatigue Curve: A human operator might start a shift performing at peak speed, but fatigue inevitably sets in. By hour six or seven, manual handling slows down, creating an unpredictable operational flow.
  • The High Churn Cycle: Manual palletising is repetitive and physically gruelling. Warehouses face heavy costs from constant staff turnover in low-skilled packing departments, resulting in endless recruitment and agency fees.
  • Health and Safety Liability: Repetitive strain and back injuries from lifting heavy boxes are an ongoing risk. A single health and safety claim can damage your team’s morale and drain unexpected capital.

Closing the Gap

Transitioning to an industrial robotic palletising system or a cobot palletiser replaces physical strain with continuous, predictable operation. Industrial robots don’t require breaks, don’t call in sick, and maintain a consistent speed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This forced takt time normally yields an immediate production increase of around 40%.

2. The Dead-Time Drain: Manual Intralogistics and Forklift Congestion

How much time do your warehouse associates spend simply walking across the floor, waiting on instructions, or moving empty pallets? In many traditional UK layouts, materials travel much further than necessary.

Relying entirely on manual forklifts or pallet trucks to ferry goods between the end-of-line packaging bay and the despatch docks introduces major inefficiencies:

  • Traffic & Congestion: Busy shift hours create bottlenecks in high-traffic aisles. If one forklift is delayed, downstream stations are left waiting on empty inputs.
  • Underutilised Skilled Labour: When an employee spends half their shift acting as a basic transport mechanism, you are paying skilled wages for low-value travel time.
Transport MethodFlexibilitySafety ProfileSpeed & Routing
Manual ForkliftHigh, but limited by operator availabilityRisk of collision in narrow or busy aislesProne to human delays and congestion
Fixed ConveyorsLow; requires permanent floor-spaceHigh safety, but creates physical layout barriersConstant speed, but completely rigid
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)Medium/High; maps can be edited in minutes or AMRs can automatically recalculate routes instantly360° laser sensors and 3D cameras for human safetySmart navigation; automatically reroutes around obstacles

Closing the Gap

Deploying a fleet of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) or Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) bridges the distance gap. Rather than overhauling your physical infrastructure with rigid, fixed conveyor lines, intelligent AMRs can seamlessly integrate into your current layout. They handle the heavy lifting and cross-floor transport automatically, allowing your human staff to focus on high-priority, value-added tasks.

3. The Flexibility Friction: Rigid Equipment vs. Rising SKU Counts

With rising SKU counts and tighter production schedules, modern warehouses must be highly agile. If it takes your team 30 minutes to manually reconfigure a packing line or reprogram an old mechanical stacker for a new box size, you are losing valuable throughput to planned downtime.

A rigid end-of-line system forces you into batch picking dependencies and downstream sorting areas that eat up valuable real estate.

Closing the Gap

Modern robotic palletisers feature advanced, intuitive software that enables operators to switch between product sizes or pallet stack patterns in less than 5 minutes without advanced technical training. The most sophisticated systems take this a step further with fully automated programming, where the palletiser automatically measures each incoming box and generates the optimal stacking program for the robot itself—eliminating manual setup entirely. High-performance systems can handle multi-infeed layouts—meaning a single robot cell can accept products from two or more distinct lines and simultaneously build different stack patterns on separate pallet positions.

Factoring in the “Cost of Inaction”

When evaluating automation, many finance directors look at a basic calculation: Cost of Machine ÷ Monthly Wages Saved.

To see the true Return on Investment (ROI), you must factor in the hidden operational drains: the price of product damage, agency premiums during seasonal peaks, missed growth opportunities due to labour caps, and the floor space saved by eliminating sorting zones. When these factors are calculated, the payback period for a modular palletising cell is often less than one year.

Closing these three productivity gaps isn’t about out-working the competition—it’s about de-risking your future with flexible, scalable infrastructure.

You may find the following tools useful in helping you to calculate the ROI of an automated palletising system.

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Solving the Recruitment Crisis: Why Fewer Young Workers Are Choosing Manual Packing Roles

Posted on June 10, 2026 by Granta

Across the UK manufacturing sector, recruitment has become one of the more significant barriers to growth.

Whether producing food and drink products, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods or industrial components, many manufacturers are facing the same challenge: finding and retaining people for operational roles.

While labour shortages affect multiple areas of manufacturing, manual packing and end-of-line positions are often among the hardest jobs to fill. Vacancies remain open for longer, staff turnover can be high, and businesses are increasingly competing for a shrinking pool of candidates.

At the same time, a new generation is entering the workforce with different expectations, different priorities and more career options than ever before.

The result is a growing disconnect between the roles manufacturers need to fill and the types of jobs many young workers are actively seeking.

For businesses that rely heavily on manual packing operations, this presents a challenge that cannot be ignored.

A Changing Workforce

Every generation enters the workplace with different expectations, but today’s school leavers and younger workers have grown up in a fundamentally different environment.

Technology has become an integral part of everyday life. Digital skills are highly valued. Schools, colleges and careers advisers increasingly encourage students to pursue opportunities that offer development, progression and long-term career prospects.

Young people today are also exposed to a much wider range of employment opportunities than previous generations.

Alongside traditional manufacturing careers, they have access to:

  • Apprenticeships across a wide range of industries
  • Higher and further education pathways
  • Technology and digital careers
  • Service-sector opportunities
  • Flexible and hybrid working environments
  • Entrepreneurial ventures and self-employment

Against this backdrop, repetitive manual roles can struggle to compete for attention.

This doesn’t mean younger workers are unwilling to work hard, nor does it mean manufacturing has become unattractive. In fact, many young people are highly interested in engineering, robotics, automation and advanced manufacturing technologies.

The challenge is that they are often looking for careers that provide opportunities to learn, develop skills and progress over time.

Why Manual Packing Roles Are Becoming Harder to Fill

Packing remains an essential part of manufacturing and distribution operations.

Products still need to be packed, sorted, labelled, stacked and prepared for dispatch. However, many manual packing positions involve characteristics that can make recruitment increasingly difficult.

These roles often include:

  • Repetitive tasks performed throughout a shift
  • Physically demanding activities
  • Limited day-to-day variation
  • High-volume production targets
  • Shift-based working patterns
  • Fewer opportunities for technical skill development

For decades, businesses were generally able to recruit workers to perform these functions. Today, however, many manufacturers report that attracting younger candidates has become significantly more challenging.

When alternative employment opportunities offer greater flexibility, technology exposure or clearer progression pathways, manual packing roles can become a less attractive option.

As a result, recruitment pipelines are shrinking just as many manufacturers need additional capacity to support growth.

The Recruitment Challenge Goes Beyond Labour Shortages

It would be easy to blame the issue entirely on labour shortages, but the reality is more complex.

Manufacturers are facing a combination of long-term trends that are reshaping the workforce.

These include:

  • An Ageing Workforce
    Many experienced manufacturing employees are approaching retirement age, creating a growing need to replace skilled and semi-skilled workers.
  • Increased Competition for Talent
    Manufacturing businesses are no longer competing solely with other manufacturers. Warehousing, logistics, retail, construction and service industries are all drawing from the same labour pool.
  • Changing Career Expectations
    Many younger workers are seeking roles that provide learning opportunities, progression and personal development rather than simply offering stable employment.
  • Skills-Based Employment Markets
    Employers increasingly value technical and digital skills, while younger workers are increasingly focused on acquiring them.

Together, these factors are creating a recruitment environment that looks very different from the one manufacturers operated in even ten years ago.

The Hidden Cost of Unfilled Packing Roles

When businesses cannot recruit enough people for manual packing operations, the consequences quickly spread throughout the organisation.

Labour shortages often lead to:

  • Reduced Production Capacity
    Production output can become constrained by staffing levels rather than equipment capabilities.
  • Increased Overtime Costs
    Existing teams are frequently required to work additional hours to maintain output targets.
  • Higher Employee Fatigue
    Persistent staffing shortages can place additional pressure on employees, increasing the risk of burnout and absenteeism.
  • Recruitment and Training Costs
    The cycle of recruiting, onboarding and replacing staff can become expensive and time-consuming.
  • Inconsistent Performance
    Manual processes can become more difficult to manage consistently when teams are under pressure or operating below ideal staffing levels.

For many manufacturers, these costs accumulate quietly over time, reducing efficiency and limiting growth opportunities.

Why Automation Is Becoming a Strategic Necessity

Historically, automation projects were often justified primarily through labour savings.

Today, the conversation has changed.

Many manufacturers are investing in automation because they can no longer rely on a steady supply of labour for repetitive operational tasks.

The question is no longer:

“How many jobs can automation replace?”

Instead, businesses are asking:

“How can we continue growing when recruitment is becoming increasingly difficult?”

Automation provides a practical answer.

By automating repetitive packing and palletising tasks, manufacturers can reduce their dependence on roles that are becoming harder to recruit for while improving operational consistency.

The Benefits Extend Beyond Recruitment

While labour availability may be the catalyst for automation investment, the benefits often extend much further.

Modern automated packing systems can help manufacturers:

  • Increase throughput
  • Improve packing consistency
  • Reduce product handling errors
  • Improve traceability
  • Support workplace safety initiatives
  • Operate more predictably during labour shortages
  • Scale production more effectively

Unlike manual processes, automated systems deliver consistent performance regardless of labour market fluctuations.

This creates a more resilient operation capable of responding to changing customer demands.

Creating More Attractive Manufacturing Careers

One of the most overlooked benefits of automation is its ability to improve the quality of jobs available within a business.

When repetitive manual tasks are automated, employees can be redeployed into higher-value activities such as:

  • Machine operation
  • Quality assurance
  • Production planning
  • Process optimisation
  • Equipment maintenance
  • Continuous improvement initiatives

These responsibilities often align more closely with what younger workers are seeking from their careers.

Rather than spending entire shifts performing repetitive tasks, employees can develop technical skills that support long-term career progression.

For manufacturers looking to attract the next generation of talent, this can become a significant competitive advantage.

Future-Proofing Manufacturing Operations

The recruitment challenges facing UK manufacturing are unlikely to disappear overnight.

Demographic trends, changing workforce expectations and ongoing competition for labour suggest that businesses will need to adapt if they want to maintain productivity and growth.

The most successful manufacturers are increasingly recognising that automation and workforce development are not competing priorities; they are complementary strategies.

By automating repetitive tasks while investing in higher-skilled roles, businesses can create operations that are more productive, more resilient and more attractive to future employees.

As workforce expectations continue to evolve, automation is becoming more than a productivity improvement. It is an essential tool for building a manufacturing operation that is ready for the future.

If you’d like to understand what automated palletising could look like in your operation, get in touch with the Granta team or use our Palletiser Savings Estimator to get an indication of the return you could expect.

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Manual vs Automated Palletising: ROI & Cost Comparison Guide

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Granta

When assessing whether to transition a production or warehouse line to automation, the decision usually centres on three core operational pillars: financial sustainability, workplace safety, and volume consistency.

A side-by-side evaluation reveals exactly how traditional manual stacking compares to automated robotic and collaborative robot palletising.

The Strategic Breakdown

Operational VectorManual PalletisingAutomatic Palletising
Operational CostLow upfront capital, but highly variable ongoing costs. Tied directly to labour market fluctuations, agency premiums, and recruitment overhead.High initial capital expenditure (CapEx), but extremely low, predictable ongoing operational expenditure (OpEx) for power and periodic maintenance.
Throughput & SpeedHighly variable. Strongly dependent on shift timing, box weights, and operator stamina. Subject to a steady decline in cycle times over an 8-hour shift.Constant and deterministic. Runs at a fixed, programmable takt time (e.g., 12–30 picks per minute) without degradation over 24 hours.
Workplace SafetyHigh risk profile. Represents a leading cause of repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), and long-term worker fatigue.Zero human injury risk from lifting. Equipment utilises safety fencing, light curtains, or proximity scanners to isolate or mitigate human hazards.
Footprint FlexibilityHighly adaptable footprint in the short term, but requires substantial, clear floor space for multiple human operators to move around safely with pallet jacks.Highly compact, dedicated cell footprint. With easy programming software, can be easily reprogrammed for new layer patterns, box weights, or sizes via software in under 5 minutes.

1. Deep Dive: Operational Cost Structure

The financial contrast between manual and automatic setups is a balance of immediate flexibility versus long-term margin protection.

Manual Cost Realities

While manual stacking requires zero initial machinery investments, it exposes your cash flow to cumulative operational drains:

  • The Premium Factor: Relying on seasonal temp agencies to cover volume spikes means paying marked-up hourly rates, often while absorbing the cost of training workers who may only stay a few weeks.
  • The Friction of Churn: End-of-line stacking has one of the highest turnover rates in logistics. The hidden cost of constant recruitment, onboarding, and background checks heavily penalises profitability.

Automated Cost Realities

Automation shifts your expenditure from an unpredictable variable cost to a fixed asset. A standard industrial robotic cell typically draws minimal electricity and requires simple scheduled preventative maintenance annually.

The True ROI Math: When factoring in the elimination of product damage (from dropped cases), reduced shrink-wrap waste through uniform automatic application, and the reclamation of indirect management hours, most UK facilities find that an automated cell achieves complete payback within 12 to 18 months.

2. Deep Dive: Throughput and Volumetric Consistency

Manual throughput is governed by biological limits, whereas automated throughput is governed by mechanical parameters.

Manual Shift Throughput (Declines over time due to fatigue)
⏱️ Hour 1: 100% ── ⏱️ Hour 4: 85% ── ⏱️ Hour 8: 65%

Automated Shift Throughput (100% Constant consistency)
⚡ Hour 1: 100% ── ⚡ Hour 8: 100% ── ⚡ Hour 24: 100%


A human operator handling 15kg cartons may start a shift comfortably moving 10 to 12 boxes per minute. However, after moving several tons of material, fatigue naturally sets in. By hour 6, that pace often drops by 30–40%, causing upstream processing bottlenecks.

Robotic grippers handle heavy payloads at the exact same velocity during consecutive shifts. This predictability allows supply chain managers to accurately forecast outbound dispatch schedules down to the exact hour, completely smoothing out the “bullwhip effect” inside the warehouse.

3. Deep Dive: Workplace Safety and Ergonomics

Under the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines, employers are strictly obligated to minimise the risks of manual handling. End-of-line stacking forces operators into repetitive lifting, twisting, and reaching movements—the exact combination that causes spinal compression and muscular strains.

  • Manual Risk: Beyond the human toll of injury, businesses bear the financial burden of sick leave, occupational health assessments, and increased insurance premiums.
  • Automated Safety: An industrial robot handles the heavy, repetitive lifting in an enclosed environment. Standard cells are protected by safety interlocks and light curtains; if a human opens a gate or crosses a beam, the system instantly cuts power to the arm.

    For tighter spaces where fencing isn’t viable, Collaborative Robots (Cobots) utilise power and force limiting sensors. If a cobot detects the slightest contact with an operator, it safely stops mid-motion without causing injury, allowing humans and machines to work side-by-side.

Ultimately, the choice between manual and automated palletising isn’t just a question of upgrading machinery—it is a strategic decision about how you protect your margins and scale your operations. While manual handling will always play a role in short-term, highly unpredictable setups, it leaves your primary throughput vulnerable to labour market spikes, rising injury liabilities, and unavoidable fatigue curves.

By contrast, end-of-line automation transforms your logistics into a fixed, predictable, and highly scalable asset. In a landscape where speed and reliability dictate which businesses win and keep major retail contracts, investing in automated workflows is no longer just a luxury for the industry giants. It is the exact tool UK warehouses need to outpace the competition, secure their workforce, and guarantee long-term profitability.

You may find the following tools useful in helping you to calculate the ROI of an automated palletising system.

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Why Staff Love Using Granta Easy Programming Palletiser Software

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Granta

In the manufacturing and packaging industries, a common anxiety often looms over the introduction of new factory automation: “Who is actually going to run this thing?” Too often, traditional robotic systems look fantastic during a sales pitch, but become a headache on the factory floor. They arrive with complex, interfaces that require specialist, high-cost robotic programmers just to change a product size or adjust a stack pattern. If the programmer isn’t available, production grinds to a halt.

At Granta Automation, we believe that true innovation shouldn’t require a degree in computer science. Our patented easy-programming palletiser software is built to be loved not just by the management team looking at the ROI, but by the operators who interact with it every single day.


Here is why shop-floor staff love using Granta software, and how it is revolutionising production lines.

1. From Days to Minutes: Ultimate Simplicity

With conventional palletising software, setting up a new stack pattern is a tedious process. It typically takes a trained specialist one to two days of precise coding and testing to introduce a single new pattern.

Granta software flips the script. Based on the specific product being palletised, the software intelligently calculates and creates the most optimised, neat, and efficient stack patterns itself. Operators simply select their preferred layout from the pre-optimised options and get straight to work.  If an operators wishes to create their own stack pattern, they can also do so using the visual drag-and-drop editor.

Anyone can set up a product run in less than 5 minutes with zero programming experience required. If an operator can use a modern smartphone, they can program a Granta palletiser. By removing the fear of breaking complex code, operators feel empowered, confident, and in control of the machinery.

2. Eliminating the “Tech Stress” of Product Changes

In modern manufacturing, production runs are getting shorter, and product variations are growing. When a line switches from boxes to trays, or introduces a new SKU size, operators usually face the stress of manual recalibrations and potential system downtime.

Granta’s software eliminates this friction. It features automated multi-picking capabilities, meaning the software automatically calculates how to rotate products as they enter the system, grouping them seamlessly for row gripping.

For even higher flexibility, Granta integrates fully automatic programming via an advanced laser measuring system. The system automatically measures new products as they enter the line, flags size differences, and generates neat, optimised stack patterns on its own using cutting-edge technology. This means operators can confidently handle production runs as short as a single pallet load without the headache of manual reconfiguration.

3. Turning Weeks of Setup into Days

Traditional robotic installations often involve a gruelling two-week setup period after mechanical installation just to get the software running. This means weeks of engineers clogging up the factory floor, distracting staff, and disrupting normal routines.

Because Granta’s system is powered by pre-configured, patented software, initial setup takes just 2 days, followed by 2 to 3 days of production testing. Operators aren’t left watching an endless installation process; they are up and running, seeing the benefits of the automation almost immediately.

4. A Better Shift, Every Day

Beyond the screen, operators love Granta software because of the physical relief it brings to their daily shifts. By making the robotic palletiser so easy to run, operators successfully transition away from the gruelling, repetitive, and injury-prone task of manual lifting; reducing health and safety manual handling claims to zero.

The Ultimate Verdict

The true measure of any factory technology is how the team feels about it when the installation engineers leave. By putting user experience at the heart of our software, Granta ensures that operators aren’t intimidated by automation—they welcome it.

A Granta palletiser system doesn’t just deliver a payback period of frequently less than a year for managers; it delivers a happier, less stressed, and more productive workforce on the factory floor.

Want to see how easy it is for your own operators? Book a Palletiser Site Visit today and let our team assess your requirements.

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The Power of the Pivot: What Is a Bump Turn Conveyor and How Does It Work in Palletising?

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Granta

In todays fast paced production environment, automation efficiency is measured in seconds and millimetres. Products such as cases, boxes, and totes rarely exit production lines in the ideal orientation for palletising. To build stable, space-efficient loads, items often need to be rotated—typically by 90° — to create interlocking pallet patterns.

A bump turn conveyor provides one of the simplest and most cost-effective methods of achieving this in-line product reorientation.

What Is a Bump Turn Conveyor?

A bump turn conveyor (also referred to as a bump rotator or turn-post conveyor) is a material handling device designed to rotate square or rectangular products as they travel along a conveyor line.

Rather than using motors, actuators, or robotics, the system relies on a mechanical interaction between the moving product and a guide or deflection element. The conveyor provides continuous forward motion, while the guide element forces a controlled change in orientation.

This makes bump turns particularly well suited to high-throughput palletising environments where simplicity, reliability, and uptime are key.

The video below shows a bump turn conveyor system.


How It Works in Palletising Applications

Palletising relies on precise layer formation to ensure load stability. By rotating selected cases, a palletiser can form an interlocked layer pattern, improving structural integrity during storage and transport.

A bump turn conveyor achieves this rotation through a controlled three-stage process:

1. Controlled Approach and Product Stability

The product enters the turning zone on a powered conveyor (belt or roller). The conveyor maintains consistent speed and alignment, ensuring the case is stable and square before entering the turn.

Low-friction surfaces or well-controlled roller sections are often used to support smooth transition through to the turning zone.

2. Controlled Deflection (“The Bump”)

A mechanical element/guide — typically an actuated bump stop, or wheel – is positioned offset from the conveyor centreline.

3. Rotation and Exit Alignment

As the conveyor continues to drive the case forward, the guide constrains one edge while the rest of the product is carried through, causing a controlled 90° rotation (depending on system layout).

Once the desired orientation is achieved, the case clears the guide element and proceeds downstream.

Downstream guide rails are typically used to:

    • Re-square the product

    • Maintain spacing and tracking

    • Present consistent orientation into the palletiser

Why Use a Bump Turn in Palletising Systems?

Bump turn conveyors remain widely used because they offer a strong balance of simplicity and performance:

    • Cost-effective solution
      Minimal mechanical complexity means lower installation and maintenance costs compared to powered turners or robotic systems.

    • High throughput operation
      Products are reoriented in-line without stopping or indexing, maintaining continuous flow to the palletiser.

    • Compact integration
      Bump turns can be incorporated directly into existing conveyor layouts with minimal footprint.

A bump turn conveyor is a proven, widely used solution for in-line product reorientation within palletising systems. Its effectiveness comes from controlled mechanical deflection rather than complex motion control, allowing reliable 90° product rotation at full production speed.

For many high-throughput packaging lines, it remains a practical combination of simplicity, reliability, and cost efficiency.

If you’d to discuss your requirements for palletising solutions, feel free to contact us on 01223 499488 or helpline@granta-automation.co.uk and we will be happy to help.

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How to Secure Budget Approval for Automation Projects

Posted on May 19, 2026 by Granta

As the leader of a growing food, beverage, or snack manufacturing business, your day-to-day reality likely revolves around two relentless pressures: skyrocketing operational costs and a persistent shortage of reliable labour.

When the packing hall is short-staffed, throughput drops, orders face delays, and growth stalls. At the end of the production line, manual palletising remains one of the most labour-intensive, injury-prone, and inefficient bottlenecks in your entire facility.

You know that automation—specifically a robotic palletiser—is the logical solution to stabilise your output and protect your margins. However, presenting an automation business case to the board or your financial stakeholders often hits a familiar roadblock: budget approval.

If the immediate reaction from the CFO or board is that “the payback period is too long” or “we need to preserve cash right now,” you need a different strategy. To secure approval, you must shift the conversation from a capital expense to a strategic, risk-free growth enabler.

Here is how to frame the business case to get a “yes” from senior management.

1. Shift from CapEx to OpEx (Preserve Working Capital)

The traditional barrier to automation is the daunting upfront capital expenditure (CapEx). In a volatile market, senior leadership is naturally protective of cash reserves.

The breakthrough counterargument? You don’t need to buy it outright.

By leveraging flexible hire and lease options, you can transform an automation project into an operational expense (OpEx). This completely rewrites the financial narrative for senior management:

  • Immediate Positive Cash Flow: The monthly lease payment for a robotic palletiser is often significantly lower than the monthly cost of manual labour, agency fees, and recruitment overheads. You save money from Day One.
  • Zero Upfront Strain: The company retains its cash reserves for core business strategies, product R&D, or marketing, while the palletiser pays for itself through immediate efficiency gains.

2. Reframe the ROI: Factoring in the “Cost of Inaction”

When senior management argues that the payback period on a machinery purchase is too long, they are usually looking at a simple calculation: Cost of Machine ÷ Monthly Wages Saved.

To win budget approval, you must present the true, holistic Return on Investment (ROI) by highlighting the heavy Cost of Inaction (COI). Ask management to factor in the hidden drains on your current bottom line:

The Hidden Costs of Manual PalletisingThe Robotic Palletiser Solution
Recruitment & Agency Fees: Constant churn in low-skilled packing roles.Predictable Operational Costs: Robots don’t call in sick or require agency premiums.
Ergonomic Injuries & Claims: Repetitive strain and back injuries from lifting heavy boxes.Risk Mitigation: Drastically reduces workplace health and safety liabilities.
Product Giveaway & Bottlenecks: Human fatigue slows down lines during peak shifts.Maximum Throughput: Consistent, 24/7 end-of-line speed keeps up with processing lines.

When you add the costs of recruitment, product damage, and missed growth opportunities due to labour caps, the “long payback period” quickly evaporates.

3. De-Risk the Future with Modular Scalability

Another major anxiety for senior leadership is the fear of obsolescence. Why invest in a fixed automation system today if your product packaging, contract terms, or factory layout changes in two years?

The solution to this objection is future-proofing through modularity.

Granta’s modular palletising systems are specifically designed to evolve with your business. When presenting to the board, you can assure them that this is not a rigid, single-purpose machine, but a flexible asset:

  • Add as You Grow: You can start with a baseline configuration that solves your immediate labour bottleneck today.
  • Easy Modification: If you introduce new packaging formats, bag sizes, or stack patterns in the future, the system can be easily modified and added to.
  • Asset Protection: The investment is protected against market shifts because the hardware adapts to your changing production needs.

The Bottom Line for Leadership

Securing budget approval isn’t about convincing the board that robots are efficient—they already know that. It’s about proving that automation can be adopted without draining cash reserves, that it safeguards the business against labour volatility, and that the system is flexible enough to grow with the company.

By presenting a modular system backed by a low-risk leasing model, you aren’t asking management to take a massive financial gamble. You are presenting them with a low-risk, cash-flow-positive strategy to protect your margins and scale production.

Ready to build a bulletproof business case for your end-of-line production?

Contact us today on 01223 499488 to explore our flexible hire and lease options, and see how our modular palletisers can fit seamlessly into your growth plans.

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How Robotic Palletisers Can Handle Multiple Infeeds and Multiple Pallet Stack Positions Simultaneous

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Granta

With rising SKU counts and tighter production layouts, manufacturers are looking for ways to consolidate equipment without sacrificing output. Multi‑infeed, multi‑pallet robotic palletisers provide that consolidation by enabling one robot to service several lines and pallet positions in parallel, significantly increasing operational efficiency. This capability is transforming end‑of‑line automation, especially for sites producing a wide range of SKUs or operating multiple packaging formats.

The video below shows a real system in action, demonstrating how a single robot can manage several product streams and build pallets on different stations in parallel.

Watch the system running:


Why Multi‑Infeed, Multi‑Pallet Palletising Matters

Traditional palletisers are usually dedicated to a single line. If a facility has three packaging lines, it often needs three separate palletisers—each taking up space, requiring maintenance, and adding cost.

A robotic palletiser with multi‑line capability replaces all of that with a single, flexible cell that can:

  • Accept products from two or more infeed conveyors
  • Build pallets on two or more pallet positions
  • Switch between lines and pallets automatically

This approach increases efficiency while reducing equipment footprint.

How Robots Manage Multiple Infeeds

A robotic palletiser can receive products from several lines because of three key technologies:

1. Coordinated Infeed Conveyors

Each infeed delivers product to a defined pick point. Sensors or vision systems confirm:

  • Product presence
  • Orientation
  • SKU type

The robot’s controller prioritises picks based on line speed, buffer levels, or programmed rules.

2. Intelligent Scheduling

The robot doesn’t simply pick from whichever line is closest. Instead, it uses logic such as:

  • “Pick from Line A until buffer drops below X”
  • “Alternate between Line A and Line B every cycle”
  • “Prioritise the fastest‑running line to prevent backups”

This ensures smooth flow across all lines.

How Robots Build Multiple Pallets at the Same Time

Once the robot has picked a product, it must place it on the correct pallet. Multi‑pallet systems achieve this through:

1. Multiple Stacking Patterns

Each pallet position can have its own pattern, height, and SKU assignment. For example:

  • Pallet 1: Cartons, interlocked pattern
  • Pallet 2: Cartons, column stack

The robot switches patterns automatically based on which pallet it is feeding.

2. Optimised Robot Paths

The robot’s motion planning software calculates the most efficient route between:

  • Infeed A → Pallet 1
  • Infeed B → Pallet 2
  • …and so on

This minimises travel time and maximises throughput.

Where This Technology Is Most Valuable

Multi‑infeed, multi‑pallet robotic palletisers are ideal for:

  • Food and beverage plants
  • Pet food and animal feed manufacturers
  • Chemical and agricultural products
  • Contract packers with frequent SKU changes
  • Facilities with limited floor space
  • Operations looking to reduce labour dependency

They provide the flexibility to scale production without major layout changes.

The Bottom Line

Robotic palletisers capable of handling multiple infeeds and multiple pallet stack positions simultaneously offer a powerful combination of flexibility, efficiency, and space savings. By stacking from two or more infeeds onto two or more pallet positions, they keep production flowing continuously.

The system shown in the video is a strong example of how a single robotic cell can replace several traditional palletisers while delivering higher throughput and greater adaptability.

If you’d like to understand how automated palletising could work in your operation, get in touch with us or use our Palletiser Savings Estimator to get an indication of the return you could expect.

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